Avatar: The Modern World
by helenk94
Summary: Tana is an earth bender. But in the world where if benders bend, they will be executed, Tana is forced to live in hiding. But where's the Avatar? Is it really true that the Avatar cycle has broken? Or is the Avatar in hiding? Waiting for the right moment? The lives of Tana, her friends and her not -so-much friends.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Hi. My name is Tana. I am 17 years old and I'm an earth bender. I know, I know. That is weird.

Ever since the big war between benders and non-benders, it's hard to find a bender anywhere. The war happened over 50 years ago, when the benders were defeated and killed. Even the Avatar is believed to have been destroyed forever. There are very few benders left, and no one is dumb enough to bend in the streets. There's a law, that if you bend or see someone else bend, you must report them and that person will be executed.

It has been hard for my family, because of me. When I was little I used to get my non-bender parents into a lot of trouble. I even got my dad take the blame for me and say that he was the earth bender. I was 8 years old.

Now I live with my mum. I go to school, I work part time at a cafe and my life is as normal as it can get for an earth bender in the modern world.

I've never had a teacher. I learned it all by myself, which was hard at first but I got the hang of it. You see, every step I take the earth is calling me to bend and it is hard not to squash the heads of the bullies at my school, but in time you get used to it. I've never met another bender in my life, but how could I? Though I still believe that the Avatar is out there somewhere, waiting for the right moment.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sunlight danced along my face and made me squint. I hate being woken up by the sun. I forced myself to turn around and look at the clock on my banged up mobile phone. It was 6:59 in the morning. I sighed, being happy that I still had one minute to come to my senses, but right then the alarm went off which, as always, made me groan. I turned off the alarm and got up, making my way towards the bathroom. After taking a shower and making myself look less zombie-like, I went over to my mums room, waking her up and then going into the kitchen to eat something.

See this is how every day of my life starts. Well except on the weekends, where I get to sleep for extra 15 minutes before being woken up by the neighbors cat, Moe. I don't mind at all, because the cat was practically ours since we fed her and took care of her, where as our neighbor just drank himself to sleep every day and night.

We lived in a little apartment house on one of the most dangerous street of the town. Since we have lived here for 7 years now, we really don't mind the dangerous part anymore. The apartment had 2 bedrooms, 1 kitchen, 1 bathroom and a small living room. It was great, and the rent was not that bad either.

My mum worked for a newspaper called "News Now". She was what you call the information gather..er? Well, whatever you call it. We weren't very poor but I still liked making my own money for my music and my books. I love reading and I love music. There's only one thing that gives me joy other than these two and that is earth bending, but that is out of the question even in emergencies.

Getting back to the story, I put on my ordinary due, which was jeans, my dad's old T-shirt and sneakers. Grabbing my bag, I yelled goodbye to my mum and left to catch the school bus. I was just on time and once I got on the bus, I took my usual seat in the third row, next to the window.

I don't really have friends, unless you count Moe. I've always been very repulsive and I've always thought it would be dangerous to make friends, which is why I didn't and have been called a loner ever since, but I don't mind, since I am a bit of a loner. My classmates never sit next to me, especially during lunch which would be sad if I cared about those kind of things. But yea, like I said, I don't mind.

During school nothing special happened, as always. I was made fun of during the break which I couldn't care less about, I got an A in my English class and was called a nerd, and I sat alone at lunch. Like I said, nothing special happened.

After I left the school, I decided to walk to the cafe I worked at since it was not very far from my school. I was walking, minding my own business, when I heard shuffling behind some trash cans, in the dark part of the street.

At first I didn't pay attention but I heard another shuffle and a groan. I ran toward the direction the noise was coming from and saw three guys standing over what looked like a big bag and were kicking it. After taking a close look I noticed that that was not a bag, but a boy about 15. I ran up to the three and yelled at them to stop, but one of them, which looked like the leader, said:

"What are you gonna do about it sweetheart?" and started walking towards me. I backed away. He continued talking "look at you, trying to be a hero. Well you are beautiful. Why don't I take you out and teach you the 'Loda way'." I was now backed against the wall with the guy standing way too close for comfort. He got closer to my ear, whispering: "That's my name by the way. What's yours, sweetheart?"

"You better back off, if you know what's good for you!" I said, trying to calm the anger that was slowly boiling up inside me. Loda and his friends laughed, as if they were amused with me acting tough.

"And you should watch your tongue, sweetheart, or I'll watch it for you" Loda said now running his hand into my shortly cut hair.

Now that was not a smart move. Even if I have my temper in control most of the time, these kind of people are the reason my temper rises.

I don't know what happened next, all I know is that when I realized what had happened, the three trouble-makers were gone, probably with a lot of bruises, and the guy that was being beaten, now sitting up, was staring at me in shock. I felt my cheeks changing colour, as I went over to him and helped him up.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice trembling a little.

The boy kept staring at me, so I just reached for my bag and left, only later realizing what kind of trouble I was in, because of course the boy would tell, and if he didn't, the other three would. My life just took a turn, and not a very pleasant one.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The rest of the day seemed blank and pointless. The only good part was going to sleep, but even that was interrupted by nightmares. When I woke up it was the first time in years I've wanted not to wake up.

How did I get into this mess? Why couldn't I just walk away and ignore the noise in the first time? My curiosity will kill me eventually and I think it already has.

I spent the morning tense, waiting for the door to slam open and take me away. I didn't tell anything to my mum, but I think she saw that I was nervous. She didn't ask though.

The school seemed normal. I still felt uncomfortable the whole time I was there, but nothing out of the ordinary happened. By the time I left school, I was seriously starting to doubt the reality of the day before, but right when I got to the cafe, I froze. By the front desk was standing the boy who I saved yesterday, with someone with him, who seemed about my age, maybe older. I tried to make a quick exit but I was too late. The guy, who was with him, came up to me with a smile on his face saying:

"Hey! We've been looking all over you. It was hard since we didn't know your name, but we looked a lot and eventually figured out that you work here. Hi, my name's Alto. The boy you helped yesterday, is my little brother. I think we need to talk." I was completely in shock so as he left the cafe, I just followed him.

We went to a small park around the corner and sat down on a bench. Alto looked around, making sure that no one was watching. Then turned toward me.

"So, you're an earth bender?" He whispered.

I bit my lip nervously and looked down. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, I wont tell. In fact, I can help you get out of trouble." That got me interested enough to look up. He continued: "I am not a bender, but I know some people who are. You see, there are little groups of benders and I'm familiar with one, in fact, one of them is my cousin. I can ask them to convince Lado and the other two not to say a thing."

"I don't need you solving my problems." I said.

"Oh, just think of it as a... thank you, for saving my brother from some bullies. So are you in?" I hesitated.

"Come on! I really don't think you have a plan to get out of the mess you're in and I can help. Let me help." He seemed nice and I liked how he was so charismatic. I sighed.

"Fine, but you need to introduce me to the 'group' first." Alto's face lit up and he smiled. "Come with me." He said and I did. He took me somewhere I've never been before: The Hud. The Hud is a place where no one in the right mind would think of visiting. The place even smelled like trouble. All the fights, all the danger happened here. I know I should be used to danger considering where I live, but this is a lot more serious danger than any, really.

I felt tense and I have to admit, a little scared. Even with my bending, who knows what goes on over here. But at this moment all I could do is follow Alto, because he seemed to know his way around the place. He took me to an old dance studio, deep in the heart of The Hud. As we went up to the door, Alto knocked. Someone from the inside said:

"Password."

Without hesitating, Alto answered "Popsicle."

The voice said: "Wrong. That was yesterdays password."

Alto said, a little irritated: "Just let me in Jo."

And the door flew open. The guy so called Jo seemed nowhere, but just then something jumped down from on top of the door. It was a kid about 12-13 years old. He smiled at Alto, but backed off when he saw me. Alto said:

"It's cool Jo. She's with me." As we entered the place, I saw 4 more people sitting on what looked like a huge blanket spread across the floor. They were playing cards and didn't even look up when we walked in. One guy, who seemed very irritated with our arrival, said:

"What do you want Alto?" Immediately, Altos face darkened. I could see that these two didn't really like each other.

"Where's Shin?" The guy gestured toward a door. I followed Alto into the other room, where we saw a guy, probably Shin, working out. As soon as he acknowledged our presence, he looked at us and smiled at Alto. He came over and gave him a bear hug.

"How have you been cousin?" He said. Alto just nodded, which seemed like a good enough answer for Shin. Then he looked over at me and asked: "Who's your friend?" Alto told him that I was an earth bender, and how I was in big trouble. Shin looked at me.

"So, an earth bender huh? I'm an air bender." He blasted some air into my face and then said: "Show me your stuff." By that I assumed he meant my bending, so I did, by touching the wall and braking a hole in it. He sure looked impressed. "Wow! You are amazing. Who taught you that?"

"I... taught myself." I said, a little hesitant.

"Are you serious? You're incredible! I've never seen an earth bender this strong before." He grabbed my hand and started to examine it, which made the situation a lot more awkward than it already was. Alto seemed to notice, so he started talking to his cousin, gesturing me to leave, while I still could. So I did.

I walked out of the room where the 4 teenagers were playing cards, but found it empty, except for a little girl, who was... dancing? I walked closer and saw that she was bending. Bending water. Just the way she did it made it seem so beautiful. When she noticed me looking, she stopped.

"No, no. Don't stop. That was beautiful." I said. The girl smiled.

"Thank you. Are you a water bender as well?"

"No. I'm an earth bender. My name is Tana."

"I'm Maya."

"How old are you may?" I was starting to get very interested in this girl.

"I'm 9." She said.

Suddenly, Alto came and told me to go with him. I said goodbye to Maya and went after Alto. While we left the dance studio and The Hub, he didn't say a word. He walked me to the cafe and was ready to leave, when I asked:

"What's gonna happen to me?"

He told me not to worry about it, that the Loda problem would be solved. He left without any other word. The whole day I wondered what happened to Alto in that room with Shin.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't know if anyone is actually reading this little story of mine, but if you are, thank you and I hope you like it. I have exams next week so I don't really know if I'll be able to write much, but I'll try. :)**

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Chapter 3

I was in a dark room, full of people. I couldn't see them, but I felt them moving around me. Suddenly the light came on. There was no one in the room other than me and a man. As I took a closer look, I recognized him. It was my father. He was chained to the wall. I tried to reach out and help him, but I couldn't move. I watched as my father struggled to free himself, but right then, a really bright light came on quickly. I closed my eyes and the light died out. As I looked to see what had happened, I saw that the chains were now on the floor, and my father was gone. I tried to scream out his name, but I felt as if something was wrapping around my throat. Then I saw two men rush in, tying me to the chains my father was tied to before, and then the light came.

I jumped up in my bed, breathing heavily, with sweat dripping down from my forehead. I went into the bathroom. Splashing cold water on my face, I tried to convince myself that it was only a dream. But in reality, I knew that that's what had happened to my father, and what would happen to me, if anyone discovered who I really was.

I went over to the window and went outside, on the fire escape. Moe was there also, lying on the cold metal stairs. As soon as she saw me sit down, she came and stretched out on my lap. She started to purr as I rubbed her back. I looked down at the street, seeing a group of people talking intensely. The lights on the streets were flickering, making my eyes hurt.

It has been five days since I last heard from Alto. He said he'd take care of Loda, which seemed like the case, since no one had taken me away yet.

The other day I had seen Maya walking down the street with her friends. I didn't go up to her, since she probably doesn't even remember me.

I haven't been to The Hub since Alto took me there. I guess that's a smart move, since The Hub is not really a nice hang out for anyone.

Alto left as if now I should've continued my life like nothing had happened, but how could I? I will never be the same after discovering that there are others out there like me, trying so hard not to stand out, keeping away from everyone so they don't find out our secrets.

Maybe it's just me like that. I mean look at Maya. She's a water bender and she goes about with her non-bender friends as if she's one of them. I don't know if I'll ever be like that.

The sun came as quickly as it had set. My life seemed pointless.

Since it was Saturday, I was free to do whatever I wanted to, but not really. All I wanted was to earth bend, but that was unacceptable. I put on some clothes and went out into the city.

I didn't wake up my mum, since I didn't see a point in it. Walking in the streets, I wondered if any of these people were benders, or if they had someone in there family who was a bender, like Alto and Shin. Who knows how many of us are out there.

I kept looking down, walking alongside of the river. How can a water bender walk next to the river without wanting to bend? Or me? An earth bender, here, on earth? I have no idea how I'm keeping it up. As I grow, it gets harder and harder to ignore the calling.

Deep in my thoughts, I didn't notice that I was heading straight for a person standing at the edge of the river. Of course, the person didn't see me and we collided. Only when I fell flat on my bum, did I notice what had happened.

"I'm so sorry!" was all I could manage to blurt out. Looking up, I saw someone I'd never thought to see again: Loda. He seemed just as in shock as I was, though he helped me stand up. I brushed the dirt off my clothes. Loda just kept staring at me, like I was an alien. I guess to him I was something like that.

"You're... Um... Are you okay?" He choked out.

"I'm fine." I said.

"Okay... Well... Bye..." And he walked away, dazed and confused.

It took me a while to snap out of it. I continued along the road, bewildered by the encounter. How, out of millions of people in the city, I get to run into the one I hoped to never see again? Why can't I run into someone I want to see? Like Alto. I still have a lot of questions that only he can answer. I guess few others can answer them too, but right now Alto is the only one I know.

The sun felt hot against my skin. I saw an ice-cream stand. _Perfect - _I thought to myself. I bought myself ice-cream, only to figure that it was melting so badly that it dripped down all the way to my elbow. I cursed silently as i tried to wipe the sticky ice-cream off of me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see who it was but the person held me so firmly that it was impossible to turn without hurting myself. And then I saw something so strange and unexpected, I could've thought it was a dream: My ice-cream froze.

I was so stunned that I didn't notice that the persons hand was no longer on my shoulder. As soon as I snapped out of it, I turned around, but there was no one there.

This was no coincidence. Obviously the person knew that I was a bender too since he flaunted the water bending into my face. Or was it air bending? How could someone know? Was it someone from The Hud? Or did someone see me bend against Loda and his friends? I don't remember how I got home, or how I went to bed, but the questions kept me up all night. I needed answers, and I needed them now


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ever since my dad took the blame for me, I've never let anyone into my business ever again. But this time it was different.

Monday morning I got up, got dressed and went to school. There was no such thing as normal to me anymore. Everything around me seemed staged, like everyone was lying and all of this was a joke. But it wasn't.

I spent the rest of the day looking for answers, like I promised myself to do. And by answers I mean Alto. My luck seemed rotten as the day got closer to an end, but just as I was about to give up hope of ever finding Alto, I saw his brother, the one I helped a week back. He was with his friends but as soon as he saw me coming towards him, he told his friends to go on without him. As I went up to him, he said:

"I never got the chance to thank you. I was really shocked to see a... - he whispered- bender around here."

I smiled. "Any time, kid." And then my tone changed, and I started talking a lot more seriously. He seemed to noticed, because he frowned in concentration. "I need to speak to your brother. Do you know where I can find him?"

He didn't hesitate to answer: "Yes, he's always hanging out with our cousin, Shin at a place called 'The Hud'. Have you heard of it?" I nodded and thanked him for the information. I guess I had no choice, I had to go back to The Hud.

That night, I took a cab to the entrance of The Hud. I told my mum I'd be back late and not to worry.

As I entered, the place looked a lot more scary than it was when I was with Alto.

I guess I should mention that The Hud stretches out to about 12 streets. It's really big and not very bright. I was having a hard time moving around the place, because of the dark. The old dance studio Alto took me to was in the centre, so I made a few turns until reaching it. In the darkness I could see the lights of cigarettes dangling in the air.

I opened the door to the dance studio and entered. Almost immediately the warmth of the place overtook me. I was surprised there was no one guarding the door. I took a step inside and saw that a guy was leaning against the huge mirror on one side of the big room. He noticed me come in, but didn't pay attention as I made my way towards the room Shin was in the first time I was there.

"You just missed him." He said as I was about to open the door. I turned to face him.

He got out a cigarette and made a gesture as in offering it to me. I shook my head. He shrugged, put the cigarette in his mouth and lighted it with his fingers. I took a step back, but quickly recovered from the shock. So far I have seen an air bender, a water bender and now: a fire bender.

"So..." - he said in his low and husky voice - "Which element?"

It took me a few seconds to figure out what he was asking. "Earth." I said at last. I went up to him slowly and leaned against the wall beside him.

"Cool." He said as if it were the simplest thing in the world to comprehend. "I haven't seen you around here. You new?"

"Not really. I just came to see Alto, that's all." The boy nodded and extended his hand. "I'm Jack."

I shook his hand. "Tana."

"Wanna practice?" I was taken aback by his straight forwardness.

"Don't worry. There's no one who'll rat you out here. Trust me." It was hard to trust him. He seemed like the kind of person to stab you in the back, but he was a fire bender and I'm guessing he wouldn't want the world to find that out either, so I nodded.

He walked to the other side of the room and then turned around. Throwing away the cigarette, he got into the position to fight and suddenly, flames shot out of his fist and straight toward my face. I would've been a goner if I wasn't so impulsive.

I dodged the flames by jumping to my left, but he was quick, as he shot more flames at me. I made the ground in front of me rise, to make a human shield, and as soon as the flames stopped, I let the shield rush toward Jack. But as the shield crashed into the wall, I saw him standing a few feet away from it.

He seemed surprised so I took my chance and build a wall around him, so tight, he was barely able to move, let along bend. He stared at me with wide eyes, but he quickly cooled off and smirked. "I underestimated you, kid. Good job. You can let me go now." So I did. His hair was now loose, so he took out a hairband and tides his medium sized hair into a messy bun.

He got out a new cigarette, forgetting that I refused the first time, he offered again. I shook my head once more. Suddenly the door burst open and an angry Shin rushed inside.

"We need to talk about this!" Came a familiar voice from behind him. Shin didn't even notice me or Jack and went into his room. And behind him came Alto. _Finally!_ - My mind beamed, but Alto, just like Shin, didn't notice us and went to the door, banging at it, but the door was shut tight.

"Uuughh!" escaped from his mouth. He turned around, only now noticing that he wasn't alone. He looked at me confused. "Tana? What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Alto. I came to ask some questions, but you don't seem in the mood." I said, a little irritated by the way he spoke to me. His head dropped and then he looked up again, starting to walk towards me.

"Sorry. It's just that... We've been having some problems lately and... Yea. Maybe we do need to talk, but not here and certainly not now. How about tomorrow? We can go for a coffee or something?"

I was a bit hesitant at first but then I remembered what I had promised myself and I nodded. "Sure. Meet me in front of my cafe tomorrow at 6." And I turned around. I waved goodbye to Jack, who took his old place, leaning against the mirror, and I walked out of the studio.

Well, that was... disturbing.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I got a good comment and it made me want to write as soon as possible. I hope you like it and it is a little calm episode since I was in a weird mood today, and so is Tana... Apparently :D So enjoy.**

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Chapter 5

I sat in a bit crowded cafe and sipped my iced tea. I was glad that today was my day off since there were unexpectedly many people in the cafe. It was 6:34 and Alto was nowhere to be seen. Sure, that should've bothered me and it would have on a regular basis, but my mood was unusually calm at this very day, that made me okay with whatever was going wrong.

Today I had yet another encounter with Jack, who turned out to be a student at my school. He seemed just like me: a loner and lonely, so we kept each other company. It was strangely nice not being all alone at school, I can't explain the feeling, but yea.. It was nice.

Other than that, I saw Maya again, with her friends and this time I went up and talked to her for a while. She is just a ball of sunshine, very lively and very sweet. She makes me want to be her friend despite the age difference. I seem to get along with benders very well, since I don't have to pretend in front of them.

Anyway, I drummed my fingers against the wooden table and brushed the loose hair away from my eyes with my other hand. That's when he came in, not buying a drink and just coming and talking a seat across from me. He looked anxious, like he had somewhere to be other than here. I ignored the nervous tapping of his foot and started very straight forwardly:

"Why?"

He wasn't expecting that kid of question, but it did make him direct all of his attention toward me. Narrowing his eyes he asked: "What?"

"Why?" I repeated the question. "You are not a bender, but you know so many. I understand that your cousin is one but that still doesn't make sense why you seem to be involved in his business. Last night I met your brother who told me that you always hang out at The Hud. So, why?"

Alto was quiet for a while, looking for the right words to say. Then he stumbled out: "I met someone... Who needed help... The only help I could get was Shin... But... He is stubborn, and said he wouldn't help until he knew who needed it... I've been trying to convince him for 2 months now, but..." He got silent again.

"Why don't you just tell him who needs the help?"

He groaned like he had been asked that question a lot. "Because... Because I can't! I promised... I'm sorry for dragging you into this. I never should've taken you to The Hud."

"You, taking me to The Hud was the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me... That says a lot about my awesome life." At least I made him chuckle. He still seemed like he had other things that troubled him.

"You know you are not like other benders I have met. Almost everyone gloats about... Oh, look what I cant do! Bet you can't do that! But, you're different."

I snorted. "I don't believe I will ever gloat about my bending. It's because of my bending that I got everyone in trouble..." He seemed to have noticed that my expression changed, but he didn't continue the conversation. After a long and tiring silence, he got up, paid for my drink and suggested to go for a walk, which I said yes to.

It was a rainy day, but the kind of rainy that made you want to go out and just enjoy the fresh air. The city was in the mountains, so in the evenings it was always cool and breezy. As we walked down the street, none of us said a word until we walked three blocks and the silence was no longer tolerable.

"Is that the only question you had?" Alto said, keeping his hands in his jean jackets. A sigh escaped my mouth.

"No... But I don't feel like asking questions at the moment." Silence again.

"What about answering some?" I shrugged. "Okay. What is your favourite gum flavor?" I raised my brows as I laughed.

"I don't like flavored gums." I answered. I looked over at him and he was smirking to himself. "What?"

"Nothing. I just thought you were a strawberry girl."

"Strawberry girl? What makes me look so strawberry-like?" I laughed and he shrugged, chuckling.

We kept walking and he kept asking strange questions like: "Do you like jelly?" and "Pirates or ninjas?" It was somewhat weird but it was fun, never a dull moment. We sat in the park for a little while and then got ourselves some popcorn at the movies, but we didn't actually go to see a movie. When I looked at my watch, it was almost 11.

"It's getting late. I better get home." I said.

"I'll walk you th..."

"No. It's okay. I'm gonna take a bus anyway so... I see no point in it." I interrupted him. He argued with me for a while, but soon gave up, seeing it was hopeless to convince me otherwise. So we parted, but I still made him promise to answer my questions some other time and he seemed cool about it.

As I walked toward the bus stop, I kept thinking about what Alto said about someone who needed help. The bus took me home and I went up to out apartment on the third floor of the 11 floored building. I opened the door to be greeted by Moe and a very angry looking mum.

"Hey..." was all I could choke out.

"Hey? Do you know what time it is? I was worried sick! You should've called! I thought they took you away! I thought..." I didn't let her finish, going up to her and hugging her.

"I'm fine mum, don't worry. I was just out with a friend and we didn't really notice the time. I'm sorry for not warning you."

"You should have... Now go to bed. You need rest. Tomorrow you have school." She had calmed down, but still was a bit shaken up. I nodded and went to my room, closing the door behind me. Moe was already on my bed, meowing at me to hurry up, but I was slow as ever.

I went to the bathroom taking a quick shower and changing into my pajamas. As I got in bed, I realized how tired I was and went to sleep immediately. I wasn't bothered by any nightmare that night.

It's strange how soon your life can change from really crappy to actually good.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Wow! That was fast :D No idea how that happened, but... wow. Hope you like it :)**

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Chapter 6

"Lady's and gents," beamed the speakers on the top corner of the class room, "Here to inform you that the Homecoming is coming! Get the joke? You can laugh... Anyway the Homecoming king and queen elections will start next monday so be sure to make your campaign ROCK! That will be all."

The bell went off. I made my way out of the classroom and toward the cafeteria, not really paying attention to the fussing of the girls over the resent Homecoming annunciation. I got food and took a seat at my usual table, soon to be joined by Jack.

"So... Homecoming? Piece of garbage. Am I right?" He started the conversation. I nodded, my mouth stuffed with hamburgers we were being served today. After managing to swallow, I said:

"Can't agree more. It's the most pointless day of the year other than prom. I don't get why everyone is so excited."

"I'd imagine, since you're a girl, that you'd have a different opinion." He said, raising his eyebrows as he smirked at me.

"No way. You won't believe but not every girl is obsessed with those kind of things."

"You're quite a tomboy. I thought you were more of a soft one."

"Soft? Alto said I was a strawberry girl. Do I come of as a barbie or something?"

Jack chuckled. "I don't know of a barbie, but soft for sure. Other than that, you spoke with Alto, huh?"

"Yea, but no. We didn't really talk about the things I wanted to talk to him about, but it's cool. I wasn't in the mood."

"Did he bother you? Should I have a little talk with him?" He joked and I laughed.

"That won't be necessary."

Suddenly two of the meanest girls in school came up to our table.

"Sally." I spat. "What do you want?" She expression was the same as mine: hatred.

"As much as I loath your existence, I need votes for Homecoming Queen. Will you assure me that your vote will be mine?"

"Not in a million years, barbie. I'd rather die a hundred times in a very painful way than vote for you."

She glared at me, but new better than to argue, so she walked away along with her friend. Jack didn't say anything.

As school time came to an end, Jack proposed to go to The Hud and unwind. I didn't refuse.

We got to the dance studio and this time the guard was up at the door by the 12 year old Jo.

"Password."

"What is it this time?" Asked Jack.

There was a whisper from the other side of the door: "Pudding."

"Pudding." Said Jack out loud and the door swung open. I laughed at the stupidity of the boys and went inside.

Inside, I saw Maya sitting by herself in the corner of the room, looking troubled. There was shouting coming from Shins room. I went over to Maya. She looked at me with her large grey eyes, so sadly, my heart sank.

"What's wrong?"

She sniffed, shaking her head. "Everyone is fighting..." Finally she tumbled out.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay." I said, taking a seat next to her and side-hugging her. She put her head against my shoulder. She was so hopeless, I wanted to beat up whoever put her in this state. We sat there in silence for a while. Jack was standing nearby, smoking and looking like he was ready for a fight.

And then the door of Shins room opened slowly. A big buff man stepped out. He looked like a former wrestler, but he was wearing a blue suit that didn't match his character. He's black hair was slicked back and yellowish eyes were glaring at no one in particular. His face looked evil and I pitied anyone who were to make this man their enemy.

Behind him came Alto, looking as angry as ever. He was also wearing a suit, like he was just on a very serious business meeting. He walked over to us. Not paying attention to me, he grabbed Mayas hand softly and helped her stand up. The two walked away, being followed by the buff wrestler.

It took me a minute to come to my senses. So many questions were turning inside my mind. I walked in Shins room only to see him meditating as if nothing had just happened. I closed the door behind me. He opened his eyes and closed them as soon as he saw me.

"You shouldn't be here." He said. I ignored his comment.

"What just happened? Who was that guy and what did all of this have to do with Maya?" I showered him with questions.

"This is no place for you. This is between me, Alto and Mr. Chow." His voice was so calm it made me want to punch him in the face.

"Who's Mr Chow? Is everything okay with Maya?"

"You should leave, for I am not going to answer your questions. There are limits to curiosity and I advise you to find yours." He didn't speak again no matter how hard I tried. Finally I lost hope and came out. Jack was still standing in the same spot. As soon as he saw me he said:

"You don't want to get involved in this. Shin is calm but he is not the guy to mess with. Just leave it to them to sort out their problems." I couldn't believe I was hearing this from Jack. He seemed like the one to be up for anything as long as it ended with a fight, and that was clearly where this situation was going.

"I can't just stay out of it. Not when it concerns Maya." I sounded so determined that Jack didn't say anything else. I left The Hud and went searching for Maya or Alto or anyone with answers, but without any luck.

I got home after midnight, this time my mum was not waiting for me, for I had warned her I'd be late. I got in bed, thinking how fast your life can get even more complicated, forever extinguishing the thought of 'an actually good' life


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's a small chapter this one, but I think it's enough. Tana is listening to "See You Soon" by Coldplay. We finally find out who the Avatar is. I think I made a right choice, don't you? tell me what you think :)**

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Chapter 7

I didn't sleep. The buzzing in my head wouldn't stop and it kept me up all night. One moment I was on the bed, the next I was outside on the fire escape, and then back in bed. Questions. Questions. Is it possible that they can drive me mad? Because I think they already have.

I got up and made myself some tea at 6 AM on a Saturday morning. I was quiet enough not to wake my mum. Time seemed to go by in a turtles speed and that bothered me so much. The tea was gone in less then 5 minutes. I gulped it down, ignoring the fact that it was still burning hot. I sat there for half and hour, thinking. And then I couldn't take it anymore. I got dressed and went out into the streets.

The sun was not yet up, and the cold air danced against my skin. Unconsciously, in no time, I was at The Hud, standing in front of the dance studio. I found the door was closed, so I took a seat on the floor. Everything was silent, as if the whole city was sleeping. It was strange because even on this ungodly hour, there used to be one or two people around. I dug in my jacket pocket and pulled out my ipod, putting on headphones and turning on a familiar tune. I closed my eyes and let the music was over me, taking me into a trance. A familiar sensation ran through my body. I dug my hand into the earth under me, making it as if it was made of mud, and I let my hand sink. I opened my eyes, to check if anyone had seen, but as before, there was no one around. I sat there for what seemed like forever, but I didn't mind.

And then I saw a shadow. I jumped up quickly, but relaxed as I saw a familiar face make his way toward me. I took the headphones off and stuffed it back in my pocket.

"Hey... What are you doing here so early?" He looked at me with his piercing green eyes, but there was no sign of anger in them.

"I couldn't sleep. I need to talk to you."

Alto nodded and opened the door. "After you." He said and I went in.

"What is going on, Alto? Is Maya okay?" I couldn't recognize my own voice.

He sat down on the floor and patted the floor next to him, motioning me to sit. I did.

"I guess I have no choice. I have to answer your questions don't I?" He looked at me. I didn't even nod, but I didn't need to. "It all started a year ago, when I found Maya, or better, when she was brought to me. She was so little, but yet so strong. I know you have seen her water bend, but originally, she's an air bender."

"Wh... I don't understand."

"She's the Avatar, Tana." It was more than I could take in.

"But... but I thought... she's... how..." I was tongue tied.

"Mr Chow, he's Maya's guardian. As soon as he realized she was the Avatar, he brought her into the city. He searched for someone, who could help him help her, but he did not trust anyone, until he met me, and saw that I wasn't going to take her to the authorities. I came to Shin as soon as I found out. I couldn't tell him the truth, because Shin... well he's not very into the Avatar. When we were growing up, he was always talking about how, if he found the Avatar, that he would kill him or her. He was so upset that the Avatar let this all go by, the non bending rule, that he got mad whenever anyone brought the Avatar up, so I couldn't tell him the truth. I've been trying to convince him to help, but he won't until I tell him the truth and he knows when I'm lying. So now you see what a mess we're in."

I tried to wrap my mind around the whole situation. Maya was the Avatar. But she is only 9. How could that be?

We sat in silence for a while. Finally I got my voice back.

"Maybe I can help? I don't know... Train her or something..."

Alto was staring off into the distance. "Maybe you can..."

The sun was now up. It shone through the window, straight at us. It cast a shadow at Alto, that made him look tired from all this mess. He turned to look at me and, maybe he saw the same thing with me.

Suddenly the door opened and we both backed away from each other. In came Shin. When he saw us, he rolled his eyes and went to his room. Alto followed.

Sitting there, I thought over all the things Alto told me. The Avatar was alive and she was just a kid.

I got up and left. As I closed the door behind me, I saw the handprint I had made in the earth, next to the door. Just a few seconds ago I was completely clueless.

I went to the park, where I found Jack, standing around, not doing anything at all. He probably had the same thing in mind as I did: he wanted to think. I went up to him. We didn't say hello, but an understanding went through, that pointed out, we just wanted to stay silent. So we took a seat on a bench and stayed quiet. The birds around us chirped, and the tender wind blew. I wondered what was Jack thinking about, but I didn't ask. After some time, the silence seemed too loud. Jack noticed too, so he said:

"What are you thinking about?"

"Life. It's a mess. You?"

"Same." And that was the end of it. In a little while, we parted.


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey people. I'm very sorry about the delay. I was out of town and after I got back I was having a severe case of writers-block. But I'm trying my best to recover now. I'll be uploading as soon as I can manage and I hope you'll be patient with me. I'm so sorry guys. Please comment and know that they make my day :)**

**P.S: This is way after The Legend Of Korra so I decided to start a new cycle. Maya is related to Aang somehow though. I hope you bare with me .**

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Chapter 8

There was a light tapping at my door. I didn't look up from the bed to see who it was, but I knew. My mum sat down on the bed, next to my feet. She looked at me, her eyes were radiating concern.

"You skipped school yesterday. Are you planning to skip it today too? Cause I don't think I can let you do that."

I didn't answer, but I made myself get up. I know she sensed that something was wrong, but she didn't ask. That's the good thing about my mum, she knows that when I'm ready I'll tell her.

I got to school to see a big banner by the entrance that read: vote Sally for Homecoming queen. My face probably looked the same as the way I felt and that was disgusted. As the school day passed, I noticed Jack had skipped school. I saw Altos brother once or twice, though I didn't talk to him and he seemed okay with that. Other than that, I was all alone. At the cafe, Maya came, but she avoided my gaze and talked with her friends, as if she was just a normal 9-year-old. Maybe she knew that I found out? Did she trust me with the secret?

As my new habit, I went to The Hud after work. I found Alto, sitting hopelessly by Shins door.

"No progress?" I asked. He shook his head no, got to his feet and groaned.

"He is so... Stubborn!"

"He'll come around, trust me."

He shook his head again. "He won't come around. I know better. He won't help until I tell him. Maybe I should."

"You said yourself that he hates the Avatar. What if he goes after Maya? I won't let him hurt her. Don't tell him. Not yet anyway."

"Then what am I gonna do? Maya needs to start her training. Maybe she can save you and get rid of this stupid rule."

"Well... Then there's no time to waste. She knows water bending and she knows air bending. I can teach her earth bending and... Maybe I could get Jack to teach her fire bending..."

"Stop right there! You're planning to tell Jack about this?" The way he said Jacks name made me angry. "You can't do that. I don't trust that guy. He's a thief and a liar!"

"Where are you getting all this from? He's a great guy. What has he ever done to you?" His face darkened, and he turned away. Again, something he wasn't telling me.

"There it is again. Secrets. I don't know what the cause is for you to call Jack a liar, but you're no better." And I stormed out. As I shut the door behind me, I bumped into someone, only to figure out that it was Jack himself. He looked like he was just in a fight, his dark hair hanging down, covering his eyes and his lip bleeding.

"Wow. What happened? Are you okay?" I put my hand on his shoulder, but he brushed it off.

"It's none of your business! Now get out of my way." He spat. And that was when couldn't take it anymore.

"No. You are going to tell me what the hell happened RIGHT NOW!" I was just as surprised as Jack.

"Why do you care? Stop acting like my mum!"

"I'm your friend, Jack! You're supposed to tell your friends these kind of things!"

"I don't have to _TELL_ you anything!" For a moment we stood in silence, both of us angry and frustrated. In the end I sighed in defeat.

"I can't deal with this. No one is telling me the truth! And I mean the whole truth not just bits of it..." I sat down next to my handprint and hugged my knees. It took a few seconds, but in the end Jack set down too. He huffed through his nose and pulled out a cigarette, not bothering to ask me if i wanted one. First he checked if anyone was around, and when he was convinced that the answer was no, he lit the cigarette with his fingers. And then he spoke:

"I'm sorry... for snapping at you. I just... It's been hard." We sat in silence for while.

"Is this why you skipped school? So you could get beat up?" I didn't look at him.

"I was coming to school, but... I ran into some old friends... Well old enemies actually... We got into a fight, and I'm not a very good fighter without fire power. Here. Now you know the truth."

The wind was picking up now. From across the street, in front of an old second-hand book shop, came the fainted sounds of wind chimes ringing. It seemed so peaceful, yet the kind of peaceful that sends shivers down your spine and makes you hide want to hide under your blankets. I zipped up my jacket up to my neck and rubbed my hands together. It was the kind of day that reminded you that winter was coming.

"Lets go inside." Said Jack and I was so cold that I forgot the dramatic-storming-out from earlier and just followed him in.

Alto was sitting by Shin's door. He looked up and when he saw me his face lit up, but it died down as soon as he saw Jack. Jack himself took a seat as further away from Alto as he could. With his cigarette in his mouth, he took out a headband and tied his hair into a bun. It was amusing, for he had longer hair than I did. It took me a minute to pick whose side I should sit on, but in the end I just leaned against the wall next to Jack. I could feel Alto's eyes piercing through my skull, but I ignored it. Not a word was said, but the tension was enough to bring anyone's mood down.

Finally the entrance door opened and four people stepped it. I swear, I have never seen four people so different from each other. One was a girl, about 15, in a yellow dress with a brown cardigan and flats. Her long light brown hair was hanging loose down her back and she seemed to be in the middle of telling a very serious story to the other three. The next one was a boy, who looked like a 19 year old, with grassy green pants and a white V-necked shirt. He had a mohawk and a tattoo on his neck, that looked like a sort of dragon. Next came a tall, skinny yet masculine girl, with ripped black jeans and a bloody red leather jacket. She looked the same age as the mohawk guy. She had her black hair tide up in a tight pony tail and she was wearing a lot of dark make-up. The last one was a boy my age, with baggy pants, a black T-shirt and a cap on his head that was turned sideways. All four of them seemed deep into a conversation, until the tall girl noticed Jack and said:

"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you. And you know with Baba here, we've actually looked every-_singe_-where. Whose your friend?"

"This is Tana. Tana, meet Sash (the tall one), Baba (the baggy-pants guy), Zaz (mohawk guy) and Vey (the little-miss-sunshine). They're all benders. Sash is a fire bender, like yours truely. Baba's an earth bender. Zaz and Vey are water benders. And Tana here, is an earthbender."

They all seemed friendly enough to include me in what was to come, and that was a poker game. Zaz and Vey, seemingly uninterested in playing poker, went for a little practice. As I played, I still kept my eyes on Alto, who was miserably sitting by the door and refusing to acknowledge anyone else's presence.

The night came too soon, for my pleasure and we broke apart, but made plans to meet up again sometime next week. With one less and four more friends in my social calendar, I left The Hud, quite satisfied yet torn.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The evening breeze was comforting as I sat on the fire escape with a blanket wrapped around me, a hot cup of tea in my frozen hands and Moe curved up, lying by my feet. Few days had passed since my last encounter with Alto and the fact was slowly dawning on me, making me want to never leave the house. It was getting colder too, though it was expected to start sooner or later.

I heard the window behind me open and a pair of feet landing on the cold metal. My mum took a seat next to me, pulling Moe on her lap and rubbing her slowly. No words were exchanged for some time. Finally she spoke:

"Something has been bothering you. You can tell me, you know. I will not judge." She received no answer. It's not like I didn't want to tell her, because I did more than anything. Just the thought of making her worry made my voice unable to come out. But I knew she wasn't gonna give up so easily.

"I have been very patient, but I can see that whatever it is, it's hurting you. And I don't like seeing you hurt." I took a sip of my tea.

"There's this... boy." I finally managed to choke out.

"I see." Was her answer. "Did he hurt you?"

"A little." I admitted. "It's just... He can't seem to be able to tell me the truth." It was quiet for a while.

"You know, when I was about your age, I met this boy. He was so handsome and sweet. I fell for him instantly. But he turned out to be a big liar. Told me he was in love with me, when in reality he was seeing half the schools girls behind my back. I was so heartbroken, thinking that was the end of it all. But it wasn't, because just two months after, I met a boy, who was just perfect, and I ended up marrying him, and having you." Her hand wrapped around my shoulder. "So I know you're hurt now, but it will get better. I promise you that."

I knew she was right. And it's not like Alto and I were ever together or anything. It's not like he even liked me. Just a little crush. I'll get over it. Eventually.

After some other stories exchanged, we headed off to bed, my mum requesting that I slept with her. I didn't refuse, crawled into bed and wrapped myself in the comforting hands of my mother.

The nightmares didn't come. Neither did the dreams. I was okay with that.

When I woke up, I got myself ready for another day. The bus ride to school was quiet. So were most of the classes. Jack kept to my side during lunch, starting up small talks, but even he could see that I was off, so he didn't push me much. After school I got to the cafe. Putting my uniform on, I noticed a familiar face in the ever so slightly crowded cafe. I made my way towards the person, picking up my notepad and a pen on the way.

"Hello, how may I serve you today?"

Her face light up when she saw me. "I didn't know you worked here." She brushed a stray hair out of her face, still wearing her black make-up.

"How are you Sash?" Was all I could say.

"I'm fine. You seem a little gloomy though. Is everything alright?"

"Nah, but... No time to worry about that now. Your order?" She nodded. I took her order and told her I should go back to work and she let me. The day passed slowly, though Sash never left, sitting in the corner booth and watching all the people come and go. After I was done, she watched me close up the cafe and followed me as I made my way towards the bus stop.

"You should come to The Hud tonight. We're having another go at the poker game."

"I don't think that's such a good idea."

"Why? Because of Alto?" I was taken aback, but I tried to act like I didn't know what she was talking about, but she saw right through me. "Come on. I saw how you guys looked at each other. You can't hide it."

I sighed, but didn't say a word.

"Plus I don't think he will be there tonight. Shin's out of town and Alto's only there when Shin is."

I ended up agreeing to this request.

As it grew darker, I made my way towards The Hud. The place no longer seemed scary since I've been coming here for a while. In fact it was rather peaceful. No cars, not many people. When I got to the dance studio, it was empty. I should've guessed no one would arrive on time. But I was fine with that. I took a seat on the floor, leaning against the huge mirror. It felt weird to be alone. No yelling, no shuffling, no nothing. In a few minutes I found myself playing with the earth, taking a fist size piece and shaping it in all different forms: a tree, an apple. Only when the light of the moon started to light the dance studio did I realize how long I had been there and how no one seemed to be coming. I got up slowly, putting the rock, that was now shaped like a small doll, into my pocket.

Suddenly the door was flung open. In came a man, in mid twenties. He had short brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in traditional water tribe getup, which I had learned in history. Aside from his eyes and his clothes, he was very skinny and quite tall. I didn't know what reaction I should've had. We just stood there for a while, looking at each other. Finally I spoke:

"Who are you?" My voice seemed as calm as ever, though I wasn't feeling calm at all. The guy looked like trouble and I'm not very keen on trouble.

"Look who's acting like a tough girl. Though I have to admit you are tough for a teenager. Tell me Tana, when will you turn of age?" His voice was deep and didn't match his appearance at all.

"How do you know my name? What do you want?" I didn't like him. I didn't like him one bit.

"So many questions. Slow down or your head might explode. Don't worry about how I know your name. Just answer the question."

"I will not answer anything until you tell me who you are." There was quite a distance between us and he seemed to not like that. His next move was so quick and unexpected that I didn't have time to react at all until I was face to face with him. Only later did I realize that I was the one that came towards him, full speed.

"Why, you don't remember? Let me give you a little reminder." Suddenly my pocket felt like ice against my skin. I reached in and got out the rock doll, that was now frozen. And then it clicked.

"You're the guy that froze my ice-cream!" A mocking smirk made its way to his lips.

"Smart girl."

"But... What do you want from me?" He broke the eye contact and started walking further in the studio, pushing past me.

"You have been very stupid. Earth bending everywhere. You should really learn to control your temper or it will get you in a lot of trouble." Still he was speaking in riddles. "You really want to know how I found out about you? Your friend, Alto, isn't the only one with bending relatives. You see, my nephew has told me so much about you. How you beat him and his friends up with earth bending. How you bumped into him in the park and played it off like it was nothing."

A chill went through me as I realized who he was talking about. "You're Loda's uncle..."

He snorted. "And you are not in trouble. Loda told me about your unique skill, how good you are at earth bending? And I think you could be of use." He came up to me, putting what looked like a card in my hand. He put his finger to his lips, gesturing to be quiet, and then he left. When he was gone I realized that all that time I didn't have control over my body, which scared me because I have heard about blood bending and not at all wanted to meet someone capable of the skill.

Getting home and to bed was a blur, though I remember my nightmare and how it kept waking me up with a scream.


End file.
